You May Now Kiss the Bride
by RegalStarlight
Summary: Emma and Regina get married


Regina slipped her hand inside the pocket of her coat, nervously running her fingers over the surface of the little box within. She must be crazy, a voice in her head said, to think that this was actually a good idea. She had been so sure that she never wanted to marry again, not after what had happened last time, but that had been before. Before a friendship turned romance had swept her off her feet. Before kisses in the rain and magic lessons and waking up beside Emma Swan each morning. Before either one of them had the courage to whisper "I love you" into the dark as they lingered on the edge of sleep. So now here she was, sitting down beside Emma with a ring in her pocket and a very important question on the tip of her tongue.

"What's up?" Emma asked, kicking back on the sofa. "You look nervous."

Regina chuckled under her breath. Nervous was an understatement. But she gathered her courage and spoke.

"I know we've only been together a short time," she said.

"Three years."

"Yes, well …" Regina hesitated. "I hope this isn't too sudden. I know … I know that what we have is real. And I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you. I never thought I would do this again, but …" pulling the little box out of her pocket, she opened it and held it out to the blonde woman. "Emma Swan, will you marry me?"

The rings were simple. That had been a requirement for Regina. They couldn't look – or feel – anything like the gaudy thing that the King had forced onto her. The ring she held out to Emma was platinum, engraved with two tiny swans. A diamond sat between them, set into the band rather than sticking out on top of it. Still buried in her pocket was a matching apple-patterned ring.

"Oh my god, Regina …" Emma looked from the ring to the woman holding it, her jaw hanging open. Regina waited for a moment, a lump in her throat.

"If you're not ready, it's okay," she said. "I know this is a big step, for both of us. And … if you don't like the ring, we can get you a different one. I know it's not exactly traditional, but …"

"Neither are we," said Emma with a laugh. "Regina, it's perfect!"

"Is that a yes, then?"

"Yes." Emma nodded vigorously and held out her hand. "How did you … I'm pretty sure the local jewelry store doesn't sell rings like this?"

"Magic," said Regina with a wink, slipping the ring onto Emma's finger. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her own ring. "See, they match."

And they did. Despite the different patterns on the band, they were clearly a pair – just like the two women.

"So wait, what are we going to call ourselves now?" Emma asked, smiling. "Mills-Swan? Swan-Mills?"

"Swan-Mills, I like it," said Regina.

"Then it's settled."

* * *

The wedding was simple. Intimate. No giant cathedrals with stained-glass windows, no throngs of a thousand guests, no heavy folds of white silk weighing either of the women down. They were married outdoors, in matching knee-length sundresses, with bouquets of white roses and Henry as the ring bearer and apple cider in place of champagne. Snow was the Maid of Honor, and Archie officiated. Emma had thrown up her hands in frustration at the lack of any appropriate cake topper at Fairytale Weddings, the bridal boutique in town, so they had made their own, a pair of swans with their necks bent in the shape of a heart, both of them wearing crowns on their heads.

It had rained the night before the wedding, and the ground was still a bit damp. Regina's heels sunk into the grass. But there was sunlight cutting through the clouds, and a beautiful rainbow arched across the sky. David walked Emma down the aisle, meeting Regina's eye and smiling as they approached, and as Emma met her at the altar, it hit her all of a sudden that this was more than she ever could have dreamed of, let alone hoped for, in all those years that she thought she would never love again.

The two women began their vows.

"Regina. When we first met, I never would have imagined we'd end up here someday. Neither one of us believed in love or happy endings. We both had broken hearts that we didn't think would ever heal. But now we're here, and the only thing I want is to spend the rest of my life with you."

"We were brought together by fate," said Regina. "Intended to be each other's worst enemy, the Evil Queen and the Savior … but we've made our own destiny. Together. This love has never been easy, but it's been worth every minute of it."

Emma continued: "When you proposed, you said that the ring you got me wasn't exactly 'traditional'. And it's not. This isn't exactly a traditional wedding, either, and we're not a traditional couple. Or a traditional family. Or a traditional anything. But I wouldn't trade what we have for all the tradition in the world. This is our fairy tale, and we will tell it how we want."

"We've already loved each other for better or for worse. In sickness and in health. Through darkness and light, tragedy and hope. And Emma, I promise, I will continue to love you and face whatever tomorrow brings by your side. As long as we both shall live."

"We have, haven't we?" Emma laughed, and even though this was all rehearsed, her words still felt spontaneous and thoughtful. "And I promise the same. As long as we both shall live. Which hopefully will be a very long time."

"All right then," said Archie, smiling at them as they slipped their rings onto each other's fingers. "You may now kiss the bride."

And that was all the prompting they needed.

* * *

If you want to see what the rings look like: 41. media. tumblr fd8efa5e8f9366b5b16ef636fd54aa72/tumblr_nqkid4EPCm1sodcifo1_500. png


End file.
